Plano police have arrested a man identified as an alien after a fatal November 1 crash, a fact not noted by other local media outlets reporting on the case.
The Plano Police Department announced on November 13 that Ricardo Gonzalez-Castanon had been charged with intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and was being held at the Collin County Detention Center. Judicial records reviewed by The Dallas Express show he was also the subject of a federal immigration detainer lodged by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, indicating federal authorities believe he is a removable alien.
The Plano police release stated that the “driver in the Fatality Traffic Crash that occurred on November 1, 2025 has been identified as Ricardo Gonzalez-Castanon. He has been charged with Intoxication Manslaughter w/Vehicle and is being held at the Collin County Detention Center.” The announcement added the case “is currently under investigation by the Plano Police Traffic Unit.”
Neither The Dallas Morning News nor Star Local Media reported that Gonzalez-Castanon was believed by federal law enforcement to be a removable alien.
DMN reported that a 25-year-old male, who had been Gonzalez-Castanon’s passenger, Alex Rangle, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Collin County jail records list Gonzalez-Castanon, born in 1996, as a Hispanic male with brown eyes and black hair. Conflicting records indicate that he was booked on either November 12 or 13 and remains confined. The jail log shows two separate holds: a second-degree felony intoxication manslaughter charge with a bond of $100,000, and an immigration detainer that authorities said was issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, an immigration detainer is a request to local law enforcement to notify ICE before releasing a “removable alien” and to hold the individual “for up to 48 hours” so that federal officers can assume custody “in accordance with federal immigration law.”
DHS says it typically issues detainers after officers determine probable cause that a person is removable and often after a criminal conviction.
A mugshot attached to the Plano Police Department’s release shows Gonzalez-Castanon, though jail records list multiple aliases, including “Gonzalez Castanon, Ricardo M” and “Gonzales-Castanon, Ricardo Miguel.”
Gonzales-Castanon, Ricardo
The presence of a federal detainer means ICE intends to take custody of Gonzalez-Castanon if he is released by local authorities. DHS guidance states detainers “are only requests” but are used to facilitate safe custody transfer of aliens who ICE believes are removable.
As of this writing, Gonzalez-Castanon did not have an attorney listed in the judicial records.